I work in cataloging/tech services and am a perfectly well-adjusted, extroverted person. I just hate answering people's questions, that's all. I will admit that my specialization has its share of batshit-crazy, unkempt, maladjusted freaks, but we're not ALL screwed up.

Our craziest crew: definitely the pages. Is there something about shelving materials that makes you lose all sense of normal? They mumble to themselves, sing along with the radio in the workroom, and, occasionally, grump around the place bitching about "the people who work upstairs."

It takes a special kind of crazy to field the sort of questions posed at the circ desk. I was once asked, very seriously, by a patron where one could purchase human body parts for "self directed learning" yep, that put me on the nut wagon for the day.

Hey, Anonymous, "extroverted" is not the same as "sane" or "well-adjusted." Geez, New Modern Library Thinking for the fail.

Hm...at my academic job, the whackos are the students--but as far as library staff, I'd have to say Circ. Half of them think they're librarians and would rather fuck up a reference question (which they're not even supposed to be handling) than hand it on to someone who knows how to deal with it, and of course the student is the one who really suffers.

At the PL, I'd say Tech Services. We have somebody in there who will arbitrarily refuse to order stuff that a subject librarian has requested, because even though she hasn't seen the collection or the patrons in years, she is convinced she knows better than the people out on the floor. The end result is that intellectually-stimulating stuff slips quietly out of our collection while 15 copies each of the newest schlock is purchased in its place. But of course, that's happening all over the US these days. New Modern Library Thinking for the fail once more.

I'm going to kind of quote Yvonne and say that It takes a special kind of crazy to decide to be a librarian. Think long and hard about your library school experience. You're now starting to remember that all of those fellow students were effing nuts no matter what they decided to specialize in. Librarians. Are. Crazy.

Crazies work in all departments, but mostly at circ. We have one who keeps needing to go to rehab (but says "no, no, no"). Imagine what Janis Joplin would look like if she hadn't died young. The poster child for "Say No to Drugs". I gave up marijuana the day I met her.

I think the serials cataloging ring of the tech services peanut gallery in my own 'brary takes the cake (notwithstanding a recent retirement; her replacement holds no candle to her wanked-out-ness). Although it's not called CATALOGING any more: "resource description" pushes New Modern Library Thinking into megafail territory.I used to consider myself a librarian wannabe, but there's no desire any more; I'm a faux-brarian all the way.

In mine, its sadly a toss up between acquisitions and circulation. I don't mean they are crazy in a goofy and fun loving way, but in a "insane and backstabbing and really unstable" Not pleasent at all.

yeah, library director at my public library (along with his workwife harem of fulltime lady librarians). definitely deranged. out of touch, out of sight (not enough though), oblivious and vociferously verbal about his general dislike of librarians.

I feel like suggesting he (and all the other library staff I've ever worked with who seem to really hate librarians) go get a job at the DMV or Sears or...just so they can work with professionals they might respect.